Tubing spider



July 17, 1934. H. R. STANDLEE TUBING SPIDER Filed Nov. l5, 1933 4Slxeecs-SheetA 1 H. R. STANDLEE TUBING SPIDER July 17, 1934.

Filed Nov. l5, 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 17, 1934. H, R, STANDLEETUBING SPIDER 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed NOV. l5, 1955 July 17, 1934.

H. R. STANDLEE TUBING SPIDER Filed Nov. 15, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 4Patented July 17, 1934 TUBING SPIDER Harvey R. Standlee, Tulsa, Okla.,assigner to The Guiberson Corporation, Dallas, Tex., a corpo-4 ration ofDelaware Application November 15, 1933, Serial No. 698,122

14 Claims.

rIhis invention relates to new and useful improvements in well spiders.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved well spiderthrough which well tubing and casing may be eiiiciently and safely, aswell as economically run.

`When running tubing or casing into a well it is very important andadvantageous that the string of tubing or casing hang in the center,

axially of the spider, so that the gripping slips may slide freely andloosely up and down the string within the body of the spider. Thisassures uniform gripping and proper alining of the string of tubing orcasing.

An important object of the invention is to provide aspider with anadjustable guide or support over-hanging the bowl and arranged to centerthe tubing string axially in the bowl of the spider. As very few wellsare straight the tubing or casing will drag on one side, when beingraised or lowered, thus by placing the spider with its guide on thisside of the well, thereby moving the tubing or casing to the center' andholding it there.

Another object of the invention is to provide a positive stop forpreventing swinging of the slips from the spider bowl when they areraised from their gripping position, so that it is not necessary for theoperator to manually replace said slips. The guide may serve as thisstop, thus having a dual function.

A further object of the invention is to provide an operating lever forraising and lowering the slips and equipped with a counter-balancingweight adjustable thereon. This weight may be set so as tocounter-balance the slips, thus making the swing of the same easy,whereby the tubing will start'the slips upwardly, when it is lifted, andthe weight will continue the swing 4.0 of the lever the raising of theslips. Where it is desirable to have the slips remain in the bowl, so asto quickly grip the tubing in case it falls, said weight may be so`adjusted.

Still another object or" the invention is to provide an improved slipsuspension which will reduce the number of parts, simplify theconstruction and aiord a quick and easy disengaging of each pair ofslips from the lever.

A further object of the invention is to provide a spider in which theparts are ruggedly constructed and conveniently arranged and so relatedto each other as to rnost efliciently co-operate; and also one in whicha minimum amount of machine work is required, thus making for expensivemanuacture.

A construction designed to carry out the invend tion will be hereinafterdescribed together with other leatures of the invention.

The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of thefollowing specication and by reference to the accompanying drawings inwhich an example of the invention is shown, and wherein:

Figure l is a side elevation of a spider constructed in accordance withthe invention and showing the slips lowered into the bowl to engage astring or tubing.

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the slips raised and released fromthe tubing.

Figure 3 is a front elevation with the parts in the position shown inFigure l,

Figure 4 is a front elevation with the parts as shown in Figure 2,

1Figure 5 is a horizontal cross-sectional View taken on the line 5-5 ofFigure 3, Y

Figure 6 is a view partly in plan and partly in section,

Figure 7 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on the line '7-7of Figure 6,

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the guide yoke,

Figure 9 is a detail of the slip suspension, and

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the bowl gate.

In the drawings the numeral 10 designates the bowl of the spider whichis provided with a beveled annular base ange 1l adapted to be fastenedin a casing head or adapter (not shown) The bowl is provided in itsiront side with a gate 12. The gate has vertical guides 13 (Figures 5, 6and l0) on each side slidable in channels 14, whereby the gate may beslid upwardly, but is held against outward displacement when closed. Alooped handle 15 is formed on top of the gate :for use in sliding itfrom the bowl.

When the gate is opened or removed a gap is left which is wide enough toreceive the tubing or casing for which the spider is adapted. Thispermits the spider to be placed around a string of tubing or casing,simply by removing the gate; and obviates the necessity of making thebowl in diametrically split sections. The gate has a transverse coredboss 15 on its outer side located between ears 17 on the bowl. A heavybolt 18 passes through the ears 17 and boss receives a wing nut 19,whereby the parts are drawn together.

. The bowl including the gate has an upwardly inclined or flared bore 10as is best shown in Figure 7. On opposite sides outwardly curved lips 20are formed on the upper edges of the bowl. Upright brackets 2l are castintegral with the 110 rear side of the bowl and extend upwardlytherefrom. These brackets are in the form of inverted triangles. Eachbracket has a vertical flange 22 cast in its upper end which extendsforwardly and ovcrhangs the bowl. The flanges are provided withlongitudinal slots 23.

A guide yoke 24 is formed with a reduced shank 25 (Figure 8) slidingbetween the flanges 22 (Figre 5). The forward ends of the flanges arecurved outwardly so that the slots 23 may have their front ends open toreceive supporting wings 26 on the sides of the shank. whereby the shankis slidably supported between the flanges. The curved ends of theilanges also act as stops to limit the rearward movement of the yoke.The yoke has a transverse bolt hole 2'? receiving a bolt 28 passingthrough the slot-s and fastened by a nut 29.

The yoke 24 has a deep crotch 30 the upper and lower edges of: which arerounded so as not to mar the tubing or casing. The term tubing as usedhereinafter is intended to cover casing or any tubular or cylindricalmember which might be used in the spider. The yoke overhangs the bowland the crotch is preferably U-shaped and made deep enough to receivemore than half the diameter of the tubing. The yoke is adjusted toengage the tubing A (Figures l and 2) and center it axially in the bowl.The string of tubing will be run up and down through the yoke and thecrotch is wide enough to permit the coupling collars to passtherethrough. The rounded edges will prevent catching of the collars.The yoke may be inverted if desired.

In order to support the tubing in the bowl some kind of slips arerequired, but the invention is not to belimited to the particular kindof slips or to the means for operating the same, because the slips couldbe removed and replaced by hand, but such a method is dangerous and Iprefer to use mechanical means for raising and lowering the slips.

I prefer to use toothed slips 31 which are arranged in pairs disposed onopposite sides of the bore 10 of the bowl. The slips illustrated aresimilar to those shown in my Letters Patent No. 1,354,953 issued June23, 1932, and fully described therein. The slips of each pair areprovided with eyes 32 engaging between ears 33 on the ends of a spreaderyoke or hanger 34 and loosely hung on pins 35 (Figures 2 and 9) fastenedin said ears. The spreader yokes are disposed substantially parallel ofthe ilanges 22 and each has an outwardly bent hook 36 at its center,whereby it and its slips may be suspended.

At the rear ends of the flanges 22 the brackets 21 are formed withfulcrum sockets 3'7 for receiving a transverse fulcrum bar 38. The baris cylindrical and is cast integral at its ends with the side bars 39 ofa U-shaped lever 40. The fulcrum bar 38 may be lifted from the sockets,but guard fingers 41 in the rear ends of the flanges 22, overhang saidbar and prevent unintentional dislodgment thereof from said sockets. Therear end of the lever (Figures 2, 3 and 7) has a cylindrical handle 42integral with its side bars.

The lever bars 39 forwardly of the fulcrum, straddle the brackets 2l soas to swing in vertical arcs outside of the flanges 22 and the yoke 24.The forward end of each lever is reduced and has loosely pivoted theretoa clevis 43 receiving one of the hooks 36, whereby the slips 31 aresuspended by the lever 4G. When the lever is swung to the position shownin Figures 1 and 3 the slips are slid down the inclined bore 10 of thebowl into gripping engagement with the tubing A. Upon swinging the leverdownwardly the slips are elevated to the position shown in Figures 2 and4.

When the slips are swung upwardly they strike the undersides of the yoke24 and the overhanging ends of the flanges 22 as is shown in Figure 2,whereby a positive stop is provided. The lips 20 prevent the lower endsof the slips from swinging out of the bowl and this is a very importantfeature. As the slips move upwardly in the ared bore 10', they arespread apart, thus releasing the tubing. By observing Figure '7 it willbe seen that the lips 20 are dished and the lower outer edges of theslips are rounded.

With the slips in their uppermost position the lower ends of the samewill be in engagement with the dished surfaces of said lips. This willpermit the slips to nearly swing out of the bore 10', thus giving ampleclearance for passage of collars and the like. The dished surfaces ofthe slips are suiciently inclined to displace the lower ends of saidslips into the bore of the bowl when the slips are lowered.

A very useful feature of the invention is a counter-balancing weight 44slidably disposed between the side bars 39 of the lever and havinglaterally directed side flanges or shoes 45 engaging on the top edges ofsaid bars. The weight is formed with a loop handle 46 and lugs 47 on theunder sides of the shoes engage in notches 48 in the side bars, wherebythe weight is held against sliding when the lever is swung. By liftingthe weight sufciently to withdraw the lugs from their notches, saidweight may be moved along the lever and thus adjusted. This weightcounter-balances the slips and has numerous advantages as will behereinafter pointed out.

In using the spider the gate 12 is removed so that the bowl 10 may bemoved forwardly, whereby the tubing is passed through the gap left bythe gate and received in the bore l0. The bowl may then be lowered ontothe casing head or other support (not shown). The bowl is rotated sothat the string of tubing A, if not hanging in the center of the bore,will contact with the rear side of said bore which is opposite thebracket 21. The string of tubing will also be received in the crotch 30of the yoke 24.

By loosening the nut 29 to free the bolt 28 the i,

yoke 24 may be slid forwardly, whereby the tubing A will be shifted tothe center of the bore of the bowl so as to hang axially of said bore.By positioning the spider as above described the tubing will bearagainst the guide and thus be held if i in a central positionsubstantially concentric to the bore of the bowl. When the guide hasbeen adjusted it may be fastened and the gate 12 may be replaced, ifthis has not already been done.

When the spider is placed in position the slips i 31 may be elevated asis shown in Figures 2 and 4, and the weight 45 will have been adjustedon the lever 40 to hold said slips in their elevated position.

After the spider has been placed in position and the adjustments made itis ready for operation. The tubing A is raised or lowered, as the casemay be, to the point where it is desired to suspend the same by thespider. To accomplish the gripping of the tubing the workman merely hasto grasp j iis suspension, the teeth of the' slips will immediately gripthe tubing in the usual way. Because of the centering of the tubing bythe guide' 24 the slips will be induced to-more uniformly grip saidtubing. It is obvious that if 'the tubing were permitted to bear againstoneside of the bore, the slips on this side rwould grip VYthe tubingbefore those on thev other side, thus takingonly 'a partial hold on thetubing. The simplicityfof setting the slips and the uniform gripping ofthe same is an important feature.

In operating the slips the workman may stand at the end of the lever,whereby he is at least two feet from the tubing and is not required tobend over the bowl or to place the fingers near the slips. He is thusprotected from injury and is not likely to inhale the gas fumes risingfrom the well, nor are his eyes subjected to the poisonous gases whichrise from the wells in some iields. The safety features, the suregripping and guide of the tubing are pointed out as advantages of theinvention.

The weight may be adjusted so as just to counterbalance the slips 31 andthus when the tubing is elevated the slips will be lifted thereby, owingto the gripping contact. The tubing will lift the slips suiciently tocause them to swing the lever 40, whereby the weight will over-balancesaid slips and continue to swing the lever until the parts reach theposition shown in Figure 2. The slips striking the guide and the flangeswill be arrested and their further movement prevented. In some caseswhere the well is flowing there is danger of dropping the tubing when aconsiderable portion thereof has been removed. In such instances theoperator prefers to allow the slips to remain in the bowl when thetubing is elevated, whereby they are in position to instantly grip thetubing in case it should fall. To accomplish this it is merely necessaryto move the weight 45 forwardly toward the fulcrum bar 38. When thisadjustment is made the slips will drop back into the bowl when thetubing is elevated because said slips will quickly free themselves fromthe tubing and the weight of said slips will be suicient to hold thelever in its down position.

It is pointed out that the guide 24 may be removed and one with a largeror smaller crotch substituted therefor when it is desired to handle atubing of different diameter. The hooks 36 may be quickly disengagedfrom the clevises 43 and other `sizes of slips connected in placethereof. In the manufacture of the spider all parts may be cast and itis only necessary to machine the bore l0 and the slips. This makes foreconomical manufacture.

The description which has been given, recites more or less detail of aparticular embodiment of the invention, which is set forth as new anduseful, however, I desire it understood that the invention is notlimited to such exact details of construction, because it is manifestthat changes and modications may be made, within the scope of theappended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A well spider comprising, a bowl, means overhanging the bowl forcentering a tubular string in said bowl, gripping slips engaging in saidbowl, and means for moving said slips upwardly and downward in said bowland below said centering means.

2. A well spider comprising, a bowl, means overhangingth'e bowl lforcentering va'tubular string in said bowl, gripping slips engaging insaid bowl,-means for moving said slips upwardly an'ddownwardin sa'idbowl and .below said centering means, and adjustable' counter-balancingmeans for the slips for controlling their position when the stringislifted.

v3. A wellspider' comprising, a bowl, a guide overhanging the bowl for-centering a tubular string -axially I in 'saidl bowl, gripping slips`coacting with the. bowl yto'=grip a tubular string, and means formoving said slips upwardly and downwardly in said'v bowl :below saidguide.

4. A well spider comprising, a bowl, a guide overhanging the bowl forcentering a tubular string axially in said bowl, gripping slips coactingwith the bowl to grip a tubular string, means for moving said slipsupwardly and downwardly in said bowl below said guide, and a stop forlimiting the upward movement of said slips to retain their lower endswithin the bowl.

5. A well spider comprising, a bowl, a guide overhanging the bowl forcentering a tubular string axially in said bowl, gripping slips coactingwith the bowl to grip a tubular string, means for moving said slipsupwardly and downwardly in said bowl below said guide, and acounter-balancing weight carried by said slipmoving means.

6. A slip suspension for a spider comprising, a spreader yoke havinghinge members at its ends for suspending a pair of slips, a hook on saidyoke intermediate its ends, and a clevis engaged in said hook forsuspending said yoke.

7. A well spider comprising, a bowl, slips in the bowl, a fulcrum havingspaced journals, a U-shaped lever having pivoted connections with slipsat one end and a cross handle at its opposite end, a cross barintermediate the ends of the lever engaging in the journals of thefulcrum, a weight slidable in the lever between the fulcrum and thehandle, and means for holding the weight in adjusted positions on thelever.

8. A well spider comprising, a bowl having a gate for placing it about atubular string suspended in a well, an upright support mounted on thebowl, a guide carried by the support and overhanging the bowl forengaging a tubing string and centering it axially in said bowl, andslips for engaging a tubular string in said bowl.

9. A well spider comprising, a bowl having a gate for placing it about atubular string suspended in a well, an upright support mounted on abowl, a guide carried by the support and overhanging the bowl forengaging a tubing string and centering it axially in said bowl, slipsfor engaging a tubular string in said bowl, and means for raising andlowering said slips.

l0. A well spider comprising, a bowl, gripping slips for engaging astring of tubing extending through the bowl, and means overhanging thebowl for displacing a string of tubing dragging on the side of said bowlto the axial center of the bowl, whereby the slips may evenly engage thetubing string.

1l. A well spider comprising, a bowl, gripping slips co-acting with thebowl to grip a string of tubing therein, and a guide overhanging thebowl at one side for displacing a string of tubing from said side to theaxial center of said bowl, whereby the string of tubing is preventedfrom dragging on the side of the bowl.

12. A well spider comprising, a bowl, a gate for the bowl, an uprightsupport carried by the bowl opposite said gate, a guide yoke overhangingsaid bowl and adjustably mountedY on the support for centering a tubularstring in said bowl, a lever pivotally mounted on the support, and slipssuspended from the lever in the bowl.

13. A well spider comprising, a bowl, a gate for the bowl, an uprightsupport carried by the bowl opposite said gate, a. guide yokeoverhanging said bowl and adjustably mounted on the support forcentering a tubular string in said bowl, a lever pivotally mounted onthe support, and slips suspended from the lever in the bowl, the supportprojecting into the path of the slips to limit their upward movement.

HARVEY R. STANDLEE.

